What you need to know about Samsung's foldable Galaxy Z Flip

Samsung's second foldable ditches plastic and is super pocketable.

Prior to 2019, folding smartphones seemed like nothing more than a distant dream. However, thanks to innovations from the likes of Samsung, Huawei, and Motorola, folding phones are now more of a reality than they ever have been.

Following the rocky release of the Galaxy Fold last year, Samsung is now taking a different approach to foldables with the Galaxy Z Flip. Rather than create another phone and tablet 2-in-1 similar to what we already have with the Fold, the Z Flip takes the shape of a traditional smartphone that can be folded up to be extra portable.

Whether you're interested in the Z Flip's design, specs, price, or anything else in between, here's everything you need to know about the phone.

• Check out our hands-on coverage
• This is Samsung's second folding phone
• You get two displays
• Plastic is out, glass is in
• Hands-free camera use is a big deal
• Here are the specs
• How does it compare?
• You can buy it right now
• Get ready to spend a lot of money

A new way to fold

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip

$1,380 at Samsung

Your pockets' best friend

If you're intimidated by the Galaxy Fold, the Z Flip brings Samsung's folding tech to a much more accessible form factor. When it's open, the Z Flip looks like any other Android phone. Fold it up, and it becomes incredibly portable and much easier to fit into tight pockets or small bags.

First, read and watch our hands-on preview

Before you get too far in this guide, we recommend starting off by reading and watching our hands-on preview of the Galaxy Z Flip.

We were able to check out the phone during Samsung Unpacked on February 11, and while we'll need more time with it to know whether or not it's truly worth the $1380 asking price, early impressions are positive.

The Galaxy Z Flip is a beautiful piece of tech, and having glass for the folding display instead of plastic makes a big difference. The hinge that allows for the folding design is also noticably tighter compared to the Galaxy Fold, which is a great boon for durability.

At this price, however, you could also just buy a Galaxy S20 Ultra and get better specs across the board at the expense of a traditional design.

Galaxy Z Flip hands-on preview: Samsung just killed the RAZR

The Galaxy Z Flip is Samsung's second folding phone

Just about a year after unveiling the industry-changing Galaxy Fold, Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Flip on February 11 during its big Unpacked event in San Francisco.

With the Galaxy Fold, Samsung effectively created a device that was a 2-in-1. When the Fold is closed, it acts as a fairly typical Android phone (albeit one with a small screen). Open it up, and you're presented with a miniature tablet that has much more screen real-estate than you'd find on a "normal" smartphone.

While the Z Flip also folds, it does so in a very different manner. Similar to the Motorola RAZR, the Z Flip looks like a fairly average handset when it's opened up. The screen is a bit narrower and taller, but it's nothing too drastic. Close the Z Flip, however, and you're treated to a wonderfully small and compact square that's easier to fit in tight pockets, purses, bags, etc.

We'll likely see a more direct successor to the Galaxy Fold at some point down the road, but with two distinct form factors between the Fold and Z Flip, Samsung can cater to multiple audiences with two very different devices.

There is something the Z Flip shares in common with the Fold, and that's an incredibly reliable hinge. Just like the Fold, the Z Flip is rated for 200,000 folds without any issues, meaning the hinge should last for around five years of normal use.

There are two displays

At first glance, it may look like the Galaxy Z Flip has just its main display and nothing more. Upon further inspection of the front of the phone when it's closed, you'll see that there is — in fact — a second screen.

It's very small at just 1.06-inches, and while you won't be watching YouTube videos or scrolling through Twitter on it anytime soon, it does allow you to answer phone calls, interact with incoming notifications, and the current time, date, and battery status. If you tap on a specific notification on the secondary display, that's the app you'll be taken to when you open the Z Flip.

Having a larger screen with more functionality would have been nice, but at the same time, it's not like opening the Z Flip takes a lot of time or effort. As a supplementary way to deliver important information, the secondary screen serves its purpose just fine.

The inner display is glass, not plastic

As cool as the Galaxy Fold is, there's one big issue there's no getting around — its plastic display. While the outer screen of the Fold is covered by glass, the inner tablet screen has a plastic covering. At the time, this is the only material Samsung could use to achieve the folding design.

A lot can change in a year, though, and the Galaxy Z Flip's folding screen features ultra-thin foldable glass.

We'll need to put the Z Flip through rigorous testing to see how the glass holds up in daily use, but going from plastic to glass should prove to be hugely beneficial.

You can use the Z Flip's camera hands-free

In addition to being more pocketable, the folding design of the Z Flip also lends itself to new ways to capture photos and videos with the phone.

When the Z Flip is half-folded so the bottom portion can rest on a table while the top sticks up, you can access a new hands-free shooting mode that allows you to easily take selfies or vlog at the perfect angle.

It effectively lets you ditch a tripod you'd otherwise need to get certain shots, and when the Z Flip is folded like this, the camera app switches to a specially-optimized interface that places all of the camera controls on the bottom portion of the screen and reserves the top section for your viewfinder.

If you don't care about selfies or vlogging, this could also be useful for hands-free video calling (which also adapts its UI for this half-folded mode).

Let's talk about specs

The futuristic design of the Z Flip is one thing, but that's only half of the story. Powerful specs are a must when spending this much on a new phone, and the Z Flip is kind of a mixed bag in these regards.

Category	Galaxy Z Flip
Operating System	Android 10 One UI 2.0
Main Display	6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2636 x 1080 425ppi 21.9:9 aspect ratio
Cover Display	1.06-inch Super AMOLED 300 x116 303ppi
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+
Memory	8GB RAM
Storage	256GB
Expandable	❌
Rear Camera 1	12MP wide f/1.8 aperture 1.4um
Rear Camera 2	12MP ultra-wide f/2.4 aperture 1.12um
Front Camera	10MP f/2.4 aperture 1.22um
Battery	3,300 mAh
Charging	Quick Charge 2.0 Qi wireless charging Wireless PowerShare
Dimensions (Folded)	73.6 x 87.4 x 17.3mm
Dimensions (Unfolded)	73.6 x 167.3 x 7.2mm
Weight	183g

Looking at this spec sheet, there are highs and lows. The Snapdragon 855+ is a very capable processor, but it's instantly outdated when you consider the newer 865 is available in the S20. 256GB of internal storage and 8GB of RAM are both great, but the 3,300 mAh battery has us wondering how much endurance the Z Flip will be able to offer.

Nothing here is inherently bad, but for nearly $1400, it would have been nice to see Samsung offer the highest-end and specs possible.

Comparing the Z Flip to other smartphones

With folding phones being so new, the Galaxy Z Flip doesn't have a ton of direct competition. However, that doesn't mean we can't compare it against some other handsets.

The Motorola RAZR is the most obvious comparison, seeing as how it has a nearly identical folding design. There's also Samsung's own Galaxy S20 Ultra, which is a traditional non-folding phone but has a very similar price tag.

The Z Flip holds its own quite well against both devices, and for more information, check out the full head-to-head battles below.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip vs. Motorola RAZR: Which foldable should you buy? Galaxy S20 Ultra vs. Galaxy Z Flip: Which should you spend $1400 on?

You can buy the Galaxy Z Flip right now

If you're interested in the Galaxy Z Flip, you can go out and buy it right now. In the United States, the phone is available directly through Samsung's website, at Best Buy, and via AT&T and Sprint.

Samsung's selling the phone in Mirror Black and Mirror Purple, with other select countries also getting a Mirror Gold finish.

Just be aware that inventory is quite limited. As of right now, Samsung's website only has the Sprint version in stock.

Be prepared to spend a lot of money

As you might expect, you'll need to hand over quite a bit of money if you want to own the Galaxy Z Flip.

The retail price is $1,380, and while that is considerably more affordable than the $1,980 Galaxy Fold, it's still bound to give some potential buyers sticker shock.

To help offset the cost a bit, Samsung throws in a few extras along with the phone itself. Customers get access to the Galaxy Z Concierge service, which is essentially a dedicated customer support line that's available 24/7. Samsung also offers a one-time screen replacement just in case something goes wrong, allowing you to fully replace the folding display for $119 during the first year of ownership.

In the box, you get free USB-C wired earbuds and a clear plastic cover along with the usual accessories.

A new way to fold

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip

$1,380 at Samsung

Your pockets' best friend

If you're intimidated by the Galaxy Fold, the Z Flip brings Samsung's folding tech to a much more accessible form factor. When it's open, the Z Flip looks like any other Android phone. Fold it up, and it becomes incredibly portable and much easier to fit into tight pockets or small bags.

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